Next week is a bit odd if you’re looking to stream pitchers. Last week I had a ton of confidence in almost every guy recommended, but this week I’m a little uneasy. Be sure to look at each guy listed because, to be honest, some of the deeper league guys are in better spots than the ten-and-12 team recommendations. Happy Streaming!

 

Ten—Team League

CC Sabathia (NYY) – The big guy gets two starts next week and you better be plugging him in for the first one against Baltimore because if you don’t know by now then you must be awakening from a comatose, but the O’s are one of the worst offenses in baseball. Unfortunately Sabathia’s second matchup comes against Cleveland so you may want to avoid that trip to the hill. But for the first matchup he’s obviously in play. Sure it comes on the road where Sabathia’s been statistically worse than at home this year, but the matchup is too good to pass up.  Baltimore is slashing just .232/.293/.365 against lefties this year. You can stream with tremendous confidence for the first start.

Chase Anderson (MIL) – Anderson, like Sabathia, gets two starts next week in pitcher-friendly environments. The first comes in Miami followed by a matchup against the Pirates. Neither offense is particularly electric right now so it’s a good opportunity to stream Anderson. Anderson’s coming off three consecutive starts of one-run ball. In total he’s logged 17.1 innings over his last three starts and given up six walks and seven hits with 19 strikeouts. There’s some reason to be cautious that he could regress because over this trio of outings opposing hitters have a .139 BABIP. But the stadiums he’ll work in next week are an upgrade over Miller Park so this is a pretty nice spot for Anderson.

Luke Weaver (STL) – It’s been beyond frustrating this season for Weaver, especially of late. Over his last four starts he’s surrendered six home runs, but the he’s generating strikeouts now more than he was earlier in the year. Over his last three starts he’s still allowing too many runners to get on base and he’s averaging 1.96 HR/9 over that period, but he has a 27.3% strikeout rate. Obviously the bad still may outweigh the good considering what we’re talking about, but he has a so-so matchup next week against the White Sox on the road. If you’re uncomfortable starting Weaver, I don’t blame you. Look below and if either of the two guys mentioned next are still available in your league then grab one or both of them!

Honorable Mentions – Zach Eflin (PHI) and Shane Bieber (CLE): I wanted to avoid repetition with these two guys because they both made the Streamers article last week and I didn’t want to sound redundant going with the same two players. However, they’re both still under 70% on ESPN and Yahoo! so not only can you stream these guys, but they’re available to add to your team rest of season.

 

12-Team League

Tyler Anderson (COL) – On most sites Anderson’s ownership is floating right around 20% so he qualifies as a deeper league option. However, I expect his ownership to rise slightly due to the fact he’s a two-start pitcher next week so I’m going to list him in the 12-team section. And yes, while he is a two-start pitcher next week they are difficult matchups, both at home in Coors Field. Now that might deter everyone away from this matchup and rightfully so. Coors Field is notorious for kicking pitchers in the ass. But Anderson’s logged three straight starts with at least eight strikeouts and he’s registered a 14.8% swinging strike rate over that span. Over the past month he’s generating strikeouts at a 25.8% rate, which ranks him 25th in the league. The matchups are tough, but Anderson has been coming on strong heading into the All-Star break.

Lance Lynn and Kyle Gibson (MIN) – Both these strapping lads have found their way onto the streamers list, Lynn as recent as last week. Each of these guys are in pretty favorable matchups at home next week; Lynn against Kansas City and then Gibson against Tampa Bay. I’m not particularly worried about either offense although the Rays have been doing better lately to get back to .500 but I still like Minnesota’s potential for a win. Although Gibson’s strikeout numbers have cooled off a bit, they’re both are in good spots for punch-outs as well as wins to help in roto or head-to-head categories leagues. If you have to take one over the other I’d probably prefer Lynn over Gibson. Lynn has performed significantly better at home than on the road while the opposite has been true for Gibson.

Matt Harvey (CIN) – Lets be clear that Matt Harvey isn’t good anymore. This isn’t one of those things you can “speak into existence.” The velocity and the strikeout rate are both way down. But I’ll give him credit because he’s adapting into a different pitcher and he has found himself doing well with Cincinnati, particularly as of late. Over his last four outings (23.1 innings) he’s given up just six earned runs, no home runs, and four walks. The strikeouts are hard to come by as he only has 16 over that span, but the 2.31 ERA is justified by the 2.63 FIP. He has a tough matchup this Sunday against the Cubs, but his last start before the break comes against the Cardinals in Busch Stadium. While the Cardinals have found some success lately Harvey’s done well enough gain some consideration.

 

Deeper League Options

Jordan Zimmermann (DET) – Zimmermann has been nothing short of brilliant since coming off the DL last month. Over his last four starts (25 innings) he has a 1.80 ERA (1.83 FIP), and he’s accumulated 24 strikeouts, eleven of which came in his last outing Friday night against Texas. Additionally over that span he’s surrendered just one home run and only one walk. His ownership on Yahoo! has spiked just over the last day and he’s on the road facing the Rays next week. The guy is rolling right now and this is the best he’s looked in a Tigers uniform. He’s almost recommended in shallower leagues as well, but the ownership is still low enough to qualify as a deep league streamer.

Zack Wheeler (NYM) – If it weren’t for Zimmermann’s hot streak Wheeler would be the top recommended player for deeper leagues. Over his last four starts (26.1 innings) he has a 2.73 ERA (2.69 FIP), 27 strikeouts, nine walks, and he’s surrendered just one home run. He’s gone at least six innings in each of those last four outings so there’s the potential for a quality start and he has a 13.2% swinging strike rate in his last four trips to the bump. He’s a two-start pitcher next week and while the matchups are concerning (at home against Philadelphia and Washington), there are certainly worse options you could turn to in deeper leagues.

Brad Keller (KC) – Part of the reason you haven’t heard about Brad Keller is because he plays for the Royals and, well, who watches the Royals play baseball anyway? Since moving to the rotation, in six starts (33.2 innings) he has a 2.14 ERA (2.99 FIP) and he hasn’t allowed a home run although that could change this weekend against the Red Sox. He’s not a big strikeout machine, but he’s been eating up some innings lately. In each of his six starts he’s managed to go deeper and deeper into games resulting in eight innings of one-run ball against the Mariners last Sunday. Next week before the All-Star break he’s aligned to face the White Sox in Chicago.